How to Rev Up Your Career as Baby Boomers Retire
The 2020’s will more than likely be the decade where we see more people reaching retirement at once than any other point in our lives.
To know the reason for so many people exiting the workforce at once, we have to look back at a time where more people entered the world at once than any of the surrounding generations.
The Baby Boom.
A Baby Boom is a period of uncommonly high birth rates. But when we say “THE” Baby Boom, we are typically referring to the period just after World War 2 ended.
During this time, the average birth rate in North America, which had been on the decline, suddenly skyrocketed and maintained a bubble from about 1946 to 1964.
The Baby Boomer generation is often characterized by the way they redefined traditional values. While they contributed to times of change, like the peace and freedom movements of the 1970’s, they also carried forward some concepts of tradition. One of which is the idea of a traditional career.
You’ve probably heard that Baby Boomers have “strong work ethic”. But that doesn’t mean younger generations don’t put effort into their jobs. It just means that Baby Boomers believe in maintaining and focusing on a single career, and define much of their self-worth from their work.
The ideal of going to college, immediately finding a steady job, and then working your way up the ladder until you retire comfortably at 65 — this is the type of career trajectory that Baby Boomers came to expect.
But 65 years ago from today puts us smack dab in the middle of the Baby Boom. Which means the largest generation of the past century is poised to retire, or already have.
And when a generation that makes up 27% of the population suddenly exits the workforce en masse, it’s going to create a vacuum which younger job seekers and professionals need to take note of.
So here are 4 ways you can rev up your career as Baby Boomers retire!
Partner with a mentor
If you’re looking for guidance with your career, there’s no one better than someone who’s been down the road you’re on!
If you want to learn how the Baby Boomers in your business were able to achieve (and maintain) their success, ask someone to be your mentor.
When choosing a mentor, keep some items in mind:
- Do I admire/look up to them?
- Do our personalities align?
- Will they be invested in my growth?
- Are they available enough to work with me?
- Do they have connections they can introduce me to, inside or outside our organization?
Make a list of possible mentors at your workplace, then politely ask them about spending some time with you to help you learn. Don’t be afraid to ask — you’d be surprised how many people are more than willing to share their stories with the right person!
Investigate upcoming job openings
Talk to your management, HR, or recruiting team to find out what positions will become vacant in the near future.
Any mindful employer will be aware, and planning for, the retirement of their staff. Discussing what opportunities may be opening up will not only give you insight into what sort of vacancies YOU could fill, but also show your interest.
Be sure that you don’t come across as pushy. You should be framing your questions as being curious about how you can help the company transition, and also how you can find new ways to develop from your current role to better support the business.
Don’t just say “I want so-and-so’s job when they’re gone”. Ask about what responsibilities you might be able to take over, and what value you can help provide when they’re gone.
Take an “old school” approach to job seeking
While social media and websites are common ways for people to connect with recruiters today, you have to remember that it wasn’t always like this.
So when recruiters are looking for advanced professionals to fill the role of older employees, they will often recruit through ways that appeal to older job seekers who will likely have the requisite experience.
These include:
- Niche job boards
- Job fairs
- In-person networking
Think about how a recruiter would look for a more traditionally-minded worker, and put yourself in their spotlight.
Help businesses think outside the box
One thing that typically happens when someone works a job for a long time, even decades, is that the rate of change slows down.
This means businesses staffed by Baby Boomers may have a very structured workflow, but one that hasn’t been updated with more relevant tools and techniques in quite some time.
As a younger job seeker, you should keep an open mind about the job requirements you read for long-established positions. Consider if there is a way you can improve on how the job is done — using the tools that you are familiar with, and which the organization may not have thought of yet.
Never go in offering to reinvent the wheel. Instead, buffer your skillset with a forward-thinking mindset.
Conclusion
The Baby Boomer “retirement boom” is going to be one of the biggest trends impacting job seeking over the next several years.
If you’re looking to find a job or level up your career, then you can’t afford to ignore it. We all need to pull together to help the workforce through this transitional phase, and it will mean many exciting new opportunities for growth — both for individuals and organizations alike.
If you’re curious about other job seeker trends, or could use a hand boosting your career today, then be sure to follow us for more news and tips, or contact META today!
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